Toothache pain can be excruciating. Whether you have a big cavity, infection, or fracture due to an accident, you need relief which lasts. Here at North Park Family Dental in Grand Rapids, MI, your dentist, Dr. Robert Dame, uses root canal therapy to stop dental pain and preserve failing teeth. Read below to learn how we can relieve your pain and help you keep your tooth for good!

What's inside your tooth?

You may be surprised to learn that your tooth is not a solid structure all the way through. Yes, the outer layers—enamel and yellow dentin—are hard, but deep in the core and down each root is soft pulp. This pulp nourishes and supports your tooth and enables it to feel pressure and pain.

If damaged, exposed, or infected, this pulp becomes inflamed and presses on the nerves inside the tooth. The results are dire symptoms such as:

Intense toothache pain

Dental sensitivity (the tooth hurts in response to heat, cold, and the pressures of chewing and biting)

Discolored tooth enamel

Red, swollen gums

Pus at the gum line

Bad breath

Foul tasting drainage

A dental abscess can quickly terminate a tooth's viability. However, root canal therapy (also called endodontic therapy) can save the tooth so that it can continue to serve you for the rest of your life.

What is endodontic therapy?

Performed entirely by your Grand Rapids, MI, dentist, root canal therapy removes damaged pulp, crowns the tooth, and extends its useful lifespan indefinitely. It also stops tooth pain while also strengthening and beautifying the tooth.

A root canal procedure starts with a complete examination and X-rays. The information gathered tells Dr. Dame if your tooth would benefit from a root canal. Many teeth qualify, sparing patients needless extractions.

To start the treatment, Dr. Dame will numb the tooth and place a rubber dam around it, creating a protective barrier and keeping the area dry. Then, he employs specialized tools to clear out the infection, clean the canals, and smooth the tooth's interior walls. A rubber sealant (gutta-percha) and a temporary filling then finishes the canals and protect the tooth while it heals. This takes up to two weeks, and afterward, your dentist will place a porcelain crown over the tooth. Crowning completes the root canal procedure.

At home, root canal patients brush and floss as usual. It is also recommended that they regularly visit North Park Family Dental for routine check-ups and cleanings every six months or any time there is a question or concern about the restored tooth.

Concerned? Call us today!

If you have tooth pain, please contact North Park Family Dental right away for an appointment. Root canal therapy could save and preserve that aching tooth indefinitely. Call (616) 361-7265.